Sketch states

Sketch states in Shapr3D provide a visual representation of the definition level of sketch items and points. These visual cues help determine whether an item is fully constrained or still has available degrees of freedom, ensuring better control over sketch behavior.

Degrees of freedom

A sketch item has degrees of freedom when it can still move in at least one direction. In Shapr3D, sketch items have three available degrees of freedom:

• Rotation: Can turn clockwise or counterclockwise.
• Horizontal movement: Can move left or right.
• Vertical movement: Can move up or down.

A sketch is fully-defined when all degrees of freedom are fixed by constraints or dimensions. If an item remains under-defined, it retains some movement until further constraints are applied.

Sketch states

Fully-defined sketches (Green)

A sketch is fully-defined when:

• All its items have constraints or dimensions applied.
• It has no remaining degrees of freedom.
• Its position, size, and relationships are completely determined.

A fully-defined sketch remains fixed unless a constraint or dimension is modified or removed.

Under-defined sketches (Blue)

A sketch is under-defined when:

• It lacks constraints or dimensions.
• It has at least one degree of freedom remaining.
• It can still move, rotate, or resize.

Under-defined sketches require additional constraints or dimensions to become fully-defined.

Sketch point states

Fully-defined points (Green)

A sketch point is fully-defined, fixed, or locked when:

• It has no remaining degrees of freedom.
• It stays in place and does not move when other sketch items are adjusted.
• It acts as an anchor for connected sketch items.

Under-defined points (Blue)

A sketch point is under-defined, movable, or unconnected when:

• It still has at least one degree of freedom.
• It can be repositioned freely.
• It is not constrained to another sketch item.

Connected points (Shared color with sketch item)

A connected point follows the state of the item with the greater degree of freedom:

• If both connected items are fully-defined, the shared point is also fully-defined.
• If one connected item is under-defined, the shared point remains under-defined until constraints or dimensions are applied.

Types of connected points:

• Coincident constraint: The point is connected to a line, curve, or their extended path, allowing it to move along the element, even beyond its visible endpoints.
• Midpoint constraint: The point remains at the center of a line even if the line's length or position changes.
• Point-to-point connection: The point is connected to another sketch point, and both move together.

Understanding degrees of freedom in connected sketches

If a fully-defined item is connected to an under-defined item:

• The fully-defined item remains fixed.
• The under-defined item can still move within its remaining degrees of freedom.
• The shared point between the two behaves based on the item with the highest degrees of freedom.